Climate report - what can the little man do?

[SGChome20]

After reading in the news about the climate report and that we are running head on into disaster it’s got me thinking. I strongly believe the big businesses need to step up and do more but I can’t practically affect that change. Yes I can sign petitions etc etc but it’s not making the changes.

I wondered what I/we as a small family can do? I mean I do the standard recycling, try to reduce single use plastics where possible. I’ve pretty much stopped buying new clothes unless they really need something and wear things till they are done. What do you do that you think is helping the environment? Bonus points if it actually also makes life easier/more enjoyable.

Great typo, boring for change should be voting!

I've recently been sufferring with climate anxiety too. I've:

• switched pension plan to a fossil-fuel free plan (I'm on PensionBee, took 5mins)
• switched my stocks and shares ISA to fossil-fuel free (on Vanguard took 10mins)
• switched to carbon neutral plan on Ovo energy (renewable anyway, but they plants trees to offset the gas)
• joined Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Rewilding Britain and WWF
• wrote a letter to MP
• emailed local environmental group, planning on helping them
• buying second hand. We went to local charity shop and dropped off too-small-kids-clothes, bought right-size-kids-clothes. Climate friendly, and helps a charity. Can't believe I would've bought new before.

I'm already mostly vegan (go vegetarian when eating out, and cook meat about once a month). But I started doing that more for health reasons.

Coronavirus has meant I haven't flown in ages, don't intend to start again.

Planning on:

• buying electric for next car
• getting quotes for insulation/solar panels/heat pump. Actually have tried to do this, so far haven't had much success getting a company to quote. Plus I suspect it'll be crazy expensive. But worth a try.
• if there's a demo nearby for COP26, I'm going

Thanks for this thread. Grateful for others' ideas.

Thanks for the thread.

@MarshaBradyo

Stop buying fast fashion

Stick to two / three children or under (maybe two but as I have three feels a bit off saying to others only two)

That’s the problem isnt it. People will generally do what doesn't actually affect them too much. Youve essentially said have the amount of children you want.

That’s the problem isnt it. People will generally do what doesn't actually affect them too much. Youve essentially said have the amount of children you want.

Lol at this. The amount of children I already have. I can’t send one back. What a silly thing to say

I could say stick to two but a bit hypocritical from me.

And some do want more than that look at the larger family board.

Well, her children might be 20 now and she didn’t have all the information back then. We do now.

A car isn’t for every trip. There isn’t any point in demonising driving. If though every trip under 2 miles was walked, cycled, scootered then it would contribute. More than 50% of car journey are under 2 miles with 3 empty seats.

No. But climate change isnt a new thing, is it. I bet your children arent in their 30’s. So you made the decision knowing climate change is a massive problem and having more children increases our carbon footprint massively. But you wanted three.

My point is, people will generally do what has no impact on their lives at all. On a previous thread people considered themselves environmentalists for not shopping at shein. Choosing one shop they didn't shop at anyway to continue not to shop was apparently a statement
You chose not to have more children than the number you chose to have.

Asking individuals to make big changes wont help. We need government action.

I think rapeseed oil is better than olive oil because it's produced in the UK.

Rapeseed kills wild bees. They find it irresistible and feed on / collect from it exclusively given the chance. But the honey they make, which is their winter food, crystallises almost immediately, so when winter comes they can't feed on it and they starve

@JulesCobb

No. But climate change isnt a new thing, is it. I bet your children arent in their 30’s. So you made the decision knowing climate change is a massive problem and having more children increases our carbon footprint massively. But you wanted three.

My point is, people will generally do what has no impact on their lives at all. On a previous thread people considered themselves environmentalists for not shopping at shein. Choosing one shop they didn't shop at anyway to continue not to shop was apparently a statement
You chose not to have more children than the number you chose to have.

Asking individuals to make big changes wont help. We need government action.

Yep I had three which is why I wouldn’t say to others to stick to two.

Others can post what they wish though. If you want to say a different limit do I don’t really care.

One of the key ways to create behaviour change in individuals is cost / price etc

Even very small - plastic bag cut drastically or barrier of PCR test cost

Refillables for all our cleaning products and shampoo conditioner shower gel. The amount of plastic we used to generate for these was sickening and so unnecessary.

Mooncup reusable nappies when kids babies etc
2 kids no more
Cycle when we can
One car
Less meat / seasonal food
Flying kills me though we love travel. Drove through Europe last summer journey was brutal

Don't invest in Bitcoin. It uses as much energy as Pakistan.

The NFT situation should be looked at

Chasing money but not good for environment

Wow Bitcoin? That’s news to me too. This thread is really great.
I have changed my ways but am learning more all the time here.

Make it clear to your politicians that you will support them if they do the right thing even if it’s personally inconvenient to you - you won’t whinge about wind farms spoiling your view or a tax on beef or flying or early phasing out of ICE vehicles. You won’t moan “but China! But almond farms!” when what you mean is “this is inconvenient to ME!”

What we could do with is a really big petition.

Buy less. I think whether it really need it. if I want something, not need but want, I just leave in my shopping basket for a few days, or don't buy it on the spot and if I still want it as much 10 days later, then I buy it.

Use up.

Repair. I just mended a dress and it will be fine to wear for a few more months.

Walk to the shops.

Fewer holiday.

Plant trees. Don't chop down the ones you have, trees are natural air-conditioning. We need more, not less.

I've tried growing veg, but it didn't work, the only thing that's I can keep alive is some herbs.

Turn the lights off when not needed. Don't let the radio and TV on in the background.

I started using shampoo bars now, and have been using soap instead of shower gels for a long time.

Keep heating down. I very rarely, if ever use the table dryer.

Don't fly to go on holiday. Don't have more children.

[quote VeniVidiWeeWee]Get off social media:

www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06610-y[/quote]
This really is eye opening about one aspect - data storage - of the internet.
Even a skim read will shock you

ourworldindata.org/ghg-emissions-by-sector

1, electric, hybrid or reduce motoring. Consider and ebike or emoped as a second vehicle.

1. Reduce home energy costs, insulate, insulate, insulate. If you are having work done or and extension make sure it is to passive levels. When your boiler next packs up change to air source heat pump. Change to a green energy supplier.

3, if the organisation you work for doesn't already have one, ask if you can become the sustainability champion or set up a sustainability committee. Same for clubs, hobbies, parish councils.

1. Meat free days and only ever buy red tractor meat. Growing a few veg yourself doesn't need a huge amount of space or effort, a couple of fruit bushes, tomatoes, a green bean wigwam or tunnel.

5, educate, educate, educate. Look at the ourworldindata chart and links, and think about the changes you can make to the big hitters. Learn how to measure your energy consumption. Learn about industrial efficiency methods sush as lean and Denning cycles.

6, don't panic, don't blame the government, don't blame big business who are working incredibly hard. Understand that this doable but down to all of us.

@Peacocking

Go vegan if you can. Dump beef and milk, cheese and other dairy products otherwise. Oatly barista oat milk is the best replacement I've found. Drive an EV if you can.

Mainly - eat a plant based diet. It's the biggest difference you can make for a huge range if reasons. It will genuinely change the world if enough people do it.

This is actually bollocks. Care to explain how me drinking milk from my grass fed cow is more damaging than you flying an avocado around the world?

Plant trees

www.rewildingbritain.org.uk

Divest your pension 🤓

Tell all your friends and family what you're doing any why - normalise being a climate ally (/demonise not giving a shit)

It seems like a tiny thing, but it adds up if more people do it - unsubscribe from all those emails we receive as newsletters. I seem to receive an email daily from Warehouse, The White Company, Pure Cashmere and so on and god knows who else because I once bought something from them.

I read recently that storing emails also takes a lot of energy, so delete all those old mailing list emails once you've unsubscribed.

Another thing I'd add is not replacing lawn with plastic grass.

don't blame big business who are working incredibly hard

like bollocks are they